I claimed to be a patient guy, but it got the best of me. I chilled and cracked one open. This is the Simpson's Golden Promise. Aggressive pour produced big bubbles. Simply needs more time carbonating. After that head dissipated, a gentle swirl and a tight one reforms about 1/4" thick.

Aroma has a scorched quality to it. I think that might be from the Columbus mash hops. Also get the expected citrus and pine as well as a musty melon. As mentioned prior, I probably went over board with hops preventing the malt from coming through. However my goal is to select a malt which plays well together since I prefer hoppy beers.

Flavor again is hop forward. With the blend, nothing in particular stands out which I've learned I prefer over a drum solo by any single hop. Definitely has a substantial body to it. Dry down the tongue but leaves some flavor clinging to the walls.

It will be more interesting when the time comes to line these up and compare side by side. Although the malt doesn't stand out here, I'm sure it's contributing. Time will tell. I have some travel coming up which will help my patience. And patience will help a little bit if hops to drop out. Likely will be late May before I do a proper tasting.

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My father says, "hobbies are supposed to cost money".

Another weekend, another test. Opened up one of the Global Kolsch. Had a pfsst when opening, no head other than a ring at the edge.

Aroma is very sweet, maple syrup. Taste follows that. Sweet, maple syrup flavor. Not sure where all the late hops went. There is a light bitterness in the aftertaste. Medium finish. Not cloying like may be expected from the aroma and flavor. I think it would be awesome jacked up as a Barley Wine. Would also do well as a mild or Scottish ale. Clueless on the Kolsch name.

That's the end of my extras. I now have 3 6-pack sets remaining. Next weekend I travel overseas for a week then its a holiday weekend. So will probably be Jube when I do a proper side by side tasting session with others. Again - if someone is in the Milwaukee region, PM me if you want to be involved. Just 1 spoke up so far.

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My father says, "hobbies are supposed to cost money".

I like the experiment and a nice group of base malts to test...but why such a complex and heavy late hop addition when you're trying to compare base malts? I'd have thrown in 15 IBUs of warrior or magnum for bittering and called it done. I'd also have thrown in 5-10% of a light crystal just to round out the beer fairly. Each to his own, for sure...it just seemed... a bit odd of a test setup to me.

I wanted to test the malts in the style of beers I mostly brew, and I wanted decent beers to drink. When in China I frequently blended some Vienna and/or Munich in with Pilsner to give a fair bit of backbone to my pale ales or IPAs. I'm hoping to find a base malt I'm happy with that doesn't need the helping hand. Yet I don't want one which gets muddled with the hops.

What I didn't expect to find was major differences in the trub and yeast cakes. I didn't take great notes on it, but it will factor into my selection.

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My father says, "hobbies are supposed to cost money".

I am also anxious to hear the results. I think running the test the way you did so it was in the style or flavor you preferred was good. I tend toward the less hopy styles myself but your method I think is sound and gives you a good comparison without going outside what you are looking for in your regular brews. Hoping I can use your results in my own recipes.

I'm admittedly remiss in following up, primarily due to having no computer at home yet (it's in a relocation shipment of household goods from Shanghai). I have tasted all, have photos, and have opinions. Short answer, I've used Belgian Pilsner as my base for my 5 full size batches since. But there will be recipes I opt for some of the others.

Hang in there folks. I'll get to it soon enough.

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My father says, "hobbies are supposed to cost money".

I'm admittedly remiss in following up, primarily due to having no computer at home yet (it's in a relocation shipment of household goods from Shanghai). I have tasted all, have photos, and have opinions. Short answer, I've used Belgian Pilsner as my base for my 5 full size batches since. But there will be recipes I opt for some of the others.

Hang in there folks. I'll get to it soon enough.

Do you have a smart phone? The HomeBrewTalk app is pretty good. I wouldn't want to type a huge response with it, but it can help you stay connected.